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Bear Creek VFD helps victims of fire

Donations are being accepted for the Hubert family that lost nearly everything in a Monday fire that destroyed their home and killed one of their two dogs.

By KATIE HANSEN - Daily News Staff

Published: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 05:20 PM.

A local volunteer fire department is collecting donations to help a Hubert family who lost their home in a fire this week.

Bear Creek VFD Fire Chief Brian F. Romans said Tuesday the department is collecting donations for Mike and Tina Berry, who lost most of their possessions in the blaze, which began around 1:15 p.m. Monday at their residence on Queens Haven Road in Hubert.

The department is collecting money, clothes, anything people want to donate; but Romans said they prefer monetary and gift card donations.

“The reason for the gift cards and monetary donations is because then there’s no confusion of what sizes people need, what food they like, medical concerns — they may not be able to eat some sort of foods,” he said. “We can just turn (the cards) directly over to the family.”

In addition, Romans said Petsmart or gift cards to benefit the family dog, Sadie, would be welcome. Romans mentioned Tuesday that he is looking into getting the dog some donations for grooming.

Romans said Officer Alex Douglas, of Onslow County Animal Services, brought Sadie to the Berrys Monday evening after crews rescued her from the fire and took her to the animal shelter.

A local volunteer fire department is collecting donations to help a Hubert family who lost their home in a fire this week.

Bear Creek VFD Fire Chief Brian F. Romans said Tuesday the department is collecting donations for Mike and Tina Berry, who lost most of their possessions in the blaze, which began around 1:15 p.m. Monday at their residence on Queens Haven Road in Hubert.

The department is collecting money, clothes, anything people want to donate; but Romans said they prefer monetary and gift card donations.

“The reason for the gift cards and monetary donations is because then there’s no confusion of what sizes people need, what food they like, medical concerns — they may not be able to eat some sort of foods,” he said. “We can just turn (the cards) directly over to the family.”

In addition, Romans said Petsmart or gift cards to benefit the family dog, Sadie, would be welcome. Romans mentioned Tuesday that he is looking into getting the dog some donations for grooming.

Romans said Officer Alex Douglas, of Onslow County Animal Services, brought Sadie to the Berrys Monday evening after crews rescued her from the fire and took her to the animal shelter.

“I called him and said, ‘Mom’s on her way home from work, can you bring the dog back out?’” Romans said. “Well, he was already home, he was already off shift. He went back to the office, bathed the dog, got the dog and brought the dog back out to mom. So that was a touching moment, because that gave her some sense of relief that she was able to have her baby.”

The house was determined a total loss by officials on Monday afternoon.

As of Tuesday, Romans said they had gone into the home and collected everything they would be able to recover, including collectibles and pictures. Romans said they were able to salvage some collectibles, ceramic kittens and items passed down from Mike Berry’s great-grandfather. They were also able to recover pictures of the Berry’s daughter and a collage of a grandchild, Romans said.

“Not a lot was salvageable, due to the fact that the fire concentration was in the master bedroom side of the house,” he said, adding that the Berrys would not be able to go back inside the home.

Romans said Tuesday that the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but he said it started in the general area of the back left corner of the house near the laundry room. Officials still have not determined if it started inside or outside the house.

Bear Creek VFD is also trying to find a house for the Berrys to rent, specifically one of two just to the right of the lot where their home currently sits.

Romans made a call Tuesday afternoon inquiring after one of the homes.

“Bear Creek would take care of them for a short amount of time,” he said. “Either through donations through the community or through membership dollars.”

Romans said 2,500 to 2,700 people live in the Bear Creek Fire District.

“It’s a very small community, so a lot of people know a lot of people ... The community will take care of them. We’ve already gotten an outpouring of support,” he said, noting people’s reactions on the department’s Facebook page and news websites Tuesday. “So the community’s going to … help put them up in a rental home for a while.”

Romans said Tuesday that the Berrys will be staying in the area. He said he doesn’t know if their plans include trying to rebuild the home, but he said they intend to remain on the site.

Romans also asked that people respect the family’s privacy during this time, specifically in regard to driving by the property taking pictures of the home.

Donations can be made by stopping in at VFD’s station at 677 Bear Creek Road in Hubert, by sending in donations to that address or by calling the department at 910-326-5999.

Romans said 20 to 25 firefighters battled the fire with at least 5 of those from the Onslow County Emergency Responder Program. The Onslow County fire marshal and emergency responder coordinator responded to the scene as firefighters as well.